Yamaha RX15 and TX81z Demo (12-Bit Blues)

Here is a demo of the Yamaha RX15 drum machine and the TX-18z Tone Generator. The RX15 is a 12-bit drum machine produced in the mid-80's and the TX-81z is a 4 operator, 8-part multitimbral FM Module produced in the late 80's.

This is a little 12-bar blues jam I recorded on my midi recorder earlier in the day. I wanted to do the solo live, but my usb interface doesn't have midi-thru, so I just recorded everything to the sequencer first.

All the drums are coming from the RX15 and everything else is coming from the TX81z. Plus there's a little reverb from the amp.

The Bass is the infamous "Lately Bass" preset, the Rhodes is the fantastic "New Electro" preset. The lead is just a slightly modified sawtooth I programmed.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• 12-bit
• Yamaha
• RX15
• TX-81z
• TX81z
• lately
• bass
• fm
• funk
• smooth
• blues

[TheMic609]

Hi there i have one of these but i would like to play midi back threw the Yamaha Itself like play a drum beat back threw it yet i cant find out how to do it i know how to sort out midi so it sends but i want to play back a song threw the Yamaha could you help me please

Cheers

[SynthesizerDemos]

@TheMic609

The RX15 was released long before the glory of general midi standardization. Most sequencers output drums according to the gm standard (i.e. bass drum at c3, snare at d3, etc.). The RX15 (or at least my RX15 as well as my RX11, it could vary from machine to machine) assigns each drum to some random note. Something along the lines of bass at c1, snare at f2, hi hat at g5, etc. You just have to go through and figure out which midi note corresponds to which drum. It's a real bitch

[SynthesizerDemos]

@TheMic609

Wanted to follow up on this. I don't actually have the RX15 anymore, I traded up to an RX11, which is basically a nicer version of the RX15. The RX11 manual detailed how to assign each drum sound to a midi note, which makes me think that the RX15 is probably capable of doing the same.

I would recommend seeing if you can find the RX15 manual and checking out the note assign section. Good luck!

[ItaloBen]

Cool track. The claps on the Yamaha are nice and crunchy. Yamaha RX-15 and RX-11 are the best kept secret around when it comes to 8-bit drum machines! I also love the TX-81z and use it often. I had a question about your amp, what kind of amp is that? I've never seen one like that before.

[SynthesizerDemos]

@ItaloBen It's a Roland Keyboard Cube. They were humble solid state amps from the 80's. They do, however, have a wide frequency range and a clean, punchy, and slightly cold sound. They're great for drum machines.

I love mid-80's Yamaha gear to death. With a tiny bit of patience, they are the best deal in town.

[ish233]

cool, niceness 

[fender1000100]

I second that. I have a DX7, QX7 and both RX11 and RX5 drum machines. All triggered by a Yamaha AW16 G digital recorder. I love mid 80s Yamaha Kit. Punchy killer sounds and feel.

[VincentsVideoVisions]

this is badass

[Dihnekis]

that rocked, great track

[GanEdenAustralia]

Zee or Zed?

[jonfender123]

I have an old yamaha RX-15. Do you know where online I can find an instructions manual?